How to Get Swole

Why should we care about them gains?

Sarcopenia, the decline in muscle mass due to aging, is a common condition that occurs as people age. Starting from the age of 30, individuals can lose 3 to 5% of their muscle mass every decade. Over the course of their lives, most men will lose approximately 30% of their muscle mass.

Shrinking pythons aren’t just a problem at the beach - they’re a mobility mishap waiting to happen. Less muscle doesn’t just mean more struggles opening a jar of pickles or a can of whoop ass, it also means an unstable walk. According to a study from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, people with sarcopenia are 2.3x more likely to take a tumble and end up with something broken, like a hip or wrist. Adequate muscle mass creates a foundation of balance and stability to protect against these harsh outcomes.

Important muscle lingo

• Hypertrophy - increase in muscle size, typically as a result of resistance training.

• Progressive Overload - simply put, doing more…whether it be more reps, more sets, more weight, reducing rest time or adding range of motion.

• Eccentric phase - occurs when you’re lowering a weight, causing the muscle to lengthen under tension. The opposite of concentric phase.

• Yolked - totally jacked but not completely ripped

• Shredded - yolked but also insanely ripped

Why hasn’t my doc talked more about getting jacked?

Dr. Peter Attia, expert in the field of longevity and wellness, addresses the issue more broadly. He suggests that primary care physicians often lack the time and resources to focus on preventative care due to the demands of managing acute medical issues. Additionally, the fee-for-service reimbursement model incentivizes treating illnesses rather than preventing them.

What are the benefits of strength and muscle mass?

Dr. Attia emphasizes that maintaining strength and muscle mass as we age is key to prolonging healthspan—the part of our lives we spend healthy, not just alive.

By keeping muscles strong, you not only fend off frailty and maintain independence but also help regulate blood sugar levels and reduce inflammation, which can ward off chronic diseases. Plus, strong muscles improve metabolic health, supporting better energy levels and weight management. Essentially, it’s about staying strong enough to enjoy your later years in good health with less medical intervention…not to forget, we’ve been indoctrinated since 7th grade gym class, curls get the girls.

Who should look to get their bulk on?

Those who are not lean already should not enter a muscle bulking phase. Instead first lean out your physique by losing excess bodyfat. Ideally, you should be 15-20% bodyfat maximum to enter a bulking phase.

Research suggests that as body fat levels rise, the body becomes less efficient at building muscle, leading to a higher ratio of fat gain to muscle gain with weight increase. This happens because of certain physiological changes that occur as body fat increases.

What are the most important factors in growing muscle?

Adherence

Dr. Mike Israetel, who holds a PhD in Sport Physiology and is known for his evidence-based approach to training and nutrition, believes adherence, or sticking to a plan, is the most important factor in growing muscle. In order to make it easier to stick to your workout plan, he has several recommendations…

Motivation…know your “why”

• I want a certain look

• I want to feel better and stronger

• I want a robust quality of life as I age

• I want to dominate under the boards at the YMCA over 40 men’s league

• I want to hit the beach club in that new banana hammock this summer

Habit

• Start slow and build from there. If you’re not currently lifting at all, start doing 20 pushups and 20 body weight squats 2x per week and build from there. “A habit has to be established before it can be improved…master the art of showing up.” - James Clear

• What can you consistently adhere to, even during tough times?

Passion - how strong is your desire for change?

Convenience

• Choose a routine that fits well into your schedule.

• How close is your gym? If it’s 10 minutes away you’re much more likely to go than if it’s 20 minutes away.

• When I’m crunched for time, I like to workout at home using kettlebells and a pull-up bar.

Set tangible, realistic goals

• Train, don’t exercise

  • Exercising

    • No goal

    • No structured program

  • Training

    • Specific goal in mind: lose 10 pounds, run a 10k or bench 225

    • Planned workouts and progressive overload to improve your performance or your physique

Gamify! - track your workouts and try to beat your high scores. Reward yourself if you meet a goal. Example: sushi dinner this weekend if I hit ten reps with 200lbs on the bench. I use an app called MyWorkout+ to track my workouts but there are a bunch of good ones out there.

Do the exercises you like - you’re much more likely to stick to a workout plan that you enjoy. If you don’t like squats, don’t do them! Throw in leg press instead.

Consistency

Let’s say you have ok rep ranges with below average technique and subpar exercise selection, but you just show up week in and week out for months on end. Ten times out of ten, you’ll beat the guy that has the perfect evidence-based workout program that shows up when he can fit it in.

Warmup

Warm up for the first exercise in muscle group…

• 12 reps with weight you could do for 30

• 8 reps with a weight you could do for 20

• 4 reps with a weight you could do for 10

For exercises in the same muscle group after your initial set, just do one “feel set”: lightweight for about 6-8 reps.

Program

Form

• Full range of motion

• Control the eccentric

• Speed doesn’t make a huge difference but you must be controlled and stable, especially to avoid injury

Rep range

• Strength specific: 3 to 6 reps

• Hypertrophy: 5 to 30 reps, you can train with high or low reps for hypertrophy depending on your preference with the caveat that you push close to failure keeping 1 to 3 reps in reserve. I prefer to stay in the 6-10 rep range for big compound movements (bench, squat, rows, etc…) and 10-15 for accessory movements (tri pushdown, calves, delt raises, etc…).

Number of sets

• Measure by muscle group per week…you can get the majority of your gains potential with 10 sets per body part per week. Going up to 20-30 sets would get you some more gains but they would be diminishing. I feel the sweet spot for an intermediate to advanced midlife resistance training routine is between 12-15 sets per body part per week with beginners sticking closer to 10. Always pay close attention to your progression and adjust accordingly.

• Train a muscle anywhere between 1 to 6 times per week, the later being better (2-4 optimal)

• Stick to 5 to 8 sets per session per muscle

Rest between sets

• Checklist (check all and you’re ready to go):

  • Are you out of breath?

  • Do you feel strong?

  • Are all muscle groups ready? Not just the primary or secondary.

  • Does the target muscle have 5 reps in it?

• It could be 30 seconds, it could be 3 or 4 minutes…think calf raises vs squats

Training splits

• A few great options, just keep in mind recovery and hitting a proper number of sets per muscle group…as well as what’s convenient and enjoyable for you.

  • Upper / lower - targeting upper body and lower body on separate days

  • Bro split - chest & tris, back & biceps, shoulders, legs

  • Push, pull, legs

    • Targeting push exercises one day (chest, shoulders, tris)

    • Pull exercises one day (back and biceps)

    • Legs on the other day

  • Full body

Lifting sessions per week

• Just want to be healthy? 2x per week, full body

• Bodybuilder? 6-9x per week

• Serious effort to change your body? 3-5x per week for an hour to an hour and a half

Progress incrementally, reps and weight to avoid injury…add just a bit of weight at a time or a rep or two. Aim for 1-10% more weight or volume each week you do an exercise. It’s very important to let your muscles, joints and ligaments acclimate to a new work load, especially in midlife, when picking up a grocery bag the wrong way can put us on the DL for two weeks.

Rest/Recovery

Sleep

• Dr. Mike really stresses how key good sleep is for building muscle. He points out that getting enough rest not only helps your body recover and keeps your hormones balanced but also keeps you performing at your best during workouts. Essentially, he advises that nailing your sleep routine is critical for effective training and muscle growth. If you missed our issue on sleep, please check it out here.

Deload week

• Dropping the load and sets by half

• Beginners: can go 3 months to a year without needing a deload

• Intermediate/Advanced: every 4 to 8 weeks,

Nutrition

In order to gain muscle you need to increase the amount of calories coming in. A happy medium is 10% of your maintenance calories. For example, if your maintenance calories are 3,000, a muscle gaining phase should start at around 3,300 calories. Then once you plateau (stop gaining weight), add calories increments of 100 until you start to slowly gain weight again.

Protein intake should be at a minimum of 0.7 grams per pound of body weight. Therefore, a 180lb man should take in a minimum of 126 grams of protein per day. The recommended protein range tends to sit in the 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of body weight. Generally, the older we get, the higher the protein recommendation.

Rounding out your macros…

• Protein contains 4 calories per gram. If we go back to our example, let’s put that guy in a moderate range of protein at .8 grams per pound of body weight or 144 grams. Multiply 144g by 4 and you get 576 calories.

• Fat consists of 9 calories per gram. It should makeup 20-30% of your total calories. Looking at our example, we’ll take 3,300 and multiply by .25 and we get 825 calories. Divide by 9 and that’s 92 grams of fat.

• Carbohydrates carry 4 calories per gram, just like protein. Now, you’ll fill out the rest of your calories with Carbs. For our example guy, we’ll take 3,300 and subtract 576 as well as 825, leaving ~1,900 calories or carbs. Divide by 4 and we get 475 grams of carbs

• Fiber

  • Minimum for men is 25 grams

  • Recommended is 10-15 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories. So in our example this would be 41 grams of fiber per day. For more on the overall importance of fiber in you diet, please check out our gut health issue here.

If you’re on-the-go all day and have a tough time getting in enough calories, protein and fiber, check out my Instagram account here for my Swole Patrol Smoothie recipe…my kids also love this one minus the protein powder.

How the F do I track this stuff?

• There a few great apps that do most of the work for you. One is called MyFitnessPal and another is called MyMacros+. I’ve been using MyMacros+ for about 10 years off and on when I’m serious about a transformation…it also has a function to keep track of your weigh-ins.

• One of these apps and a food scale is all you really need to get started…I use the Greater Goods Food Scale, it’s very low-cost and works great.

Fitting in cardio

Lifting before cardio is a smart move because it won't hurt your stamina. If you start with cardio (anything more than a warmup), you'll likely be too tired to perform well during your strength training session.

Results

Drawing on sound research, a 180-pound man aiming to minimize fat gain during a bulking phase should aim to gain approximately 0.25 to 0.5 pounds per week. This slower approach helps build muscle steadily while keeping fat gain in check.

What supplements are safe and effective and won’t kill me (nod to steroids and growth hormone)?

Protein shakes: Protein shakes will make it much easier and convenient for you to hit your daily protein intake goal. Any kind of whey protein concentrate will do. If you have a lactose sensitivity, try whey protein isolate. I use Naked Whey Protein mostly for my shakes, not the cheapest or priciest, I just love the clean taste. Serving - any where from 25-50g depending on your protein requirements.

Creatine Monohydrate: promotes muscle growth, increases in performance, speeds set to set recovery, and aids in cognitive function. Any brand of Creatine Monohydrate is fine. Be aware, It will make you gain water weight in your muscles…the good kind of water weight. Serving size: 130-180lb male, 5 grams per day, any time during the day. If you’re 180-250lb male, the recommendation is to bump that up to anywhere between 10-15g per day. I mostly use Bodytech Creatine Monohydrate or Naked Creatine

Multivitamin - an insurance policy to make sure you are getting the proper vitamins and minerals. Do not overpay for expensive brands, which is a mistake I’ve made in the past. Just look for a reputable brand that is third party tested, I currently use Nature Made Multi, which is USP Verified. Serving size: one, once a day, no more.

Caffeine/Pre-workout - this one’s pretty obvious but caffeine for all intents and purposes equals energy…but there’s more than that. It increases alertness & focus, enhances physical performance and increases your metabolic rate. It’s best to consume caffeine about 20 minutes prior to your workout. Be cognizant of the dosage however, many pre-workouts and energy drinks can contain upwards of 300 to 400 mg of caffeine, one standard 8oz cup of coffee contains 80-100mg.

My pre-workout stack

• 100-125mg of caffeine (cold brew coffee)

• 200 mg of L-theanine: an amino acid that can smooth out “coffee jitters” and has been shown to improve focus, attention, and reaction time. I use Sports Research L-Theanine which is a third-party tested brand.

• 500mg rhodiola rosea - an adaptogen that can markedly diminish the feeling of perceived effort, leading to improved output in terms of both power and endurance. I use Double Wood Rhodiola Rosea, which is also third-party tested.

There are other evidence-based supplements I would recommend taking such as Zinc, Vitamins D3/K2, and Omega 3’s but the supps above make a strong case when it comes to muscle building.

What supplements are crap?

These supplements remain extremely popular despite a severe lack of scientific evidence for muscle growth.

Testosterone boosters - to boost testosterone you’re better off to focus on 7-8 hours of sleep per night, maintaining a healthy body weight, get enough fat in your diet, and increase micronutrients if your deficient (zinc, magnesium, vitamin D).

Turkesterone - no human evidence whatsoever that it promotes muscle growth.

BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids) - these particular amino acids are extremely important to build muscle but they’re still more or less useless in the absence of the other essential amino acids.

Beta-alanine - only effective for exercise lasting 1-4 minutes and it had no positive effects on exercise under 60 seconds. So sets under 20-30 reps likely won’t yield any benefit from beta-alanine.

There’s a ton of nuance when it comes to building muscle and this issue is only scratching the surface but these principles will give you a strong base to build your workout plan. Remember, the most important thing is not designing the perfect plan with the perfect exercises and the perfect diet. The most important things are just getting started and being consistent, that’s what leads to change.

People reading this are at all different levels of fitness, some beginners and some have been working out consistently for 20 years. I hope both ends of the spectrum took away some good insights into how to improve upon their current state.

Remember to take it slow as you implement any new protocols, if you’re currently…

• not working out at all, let’s shoot for those 20 & 20’s (pushups and squats) two times per week

• only getting 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, aim for 0.6 tomorrow

• not warming up before a big compound movement, squeeze in a easy set of 8 first

Progress is progress.

Building muscle will not only help you now but pay huge dividends in the future as you age. I always picture being able to pick up my grandkids when I’m 80, it’s sounds crazy but being able to do little things like that, when I’m older, are a big motivator for me. It all starts with the formation of a small habit. Remember to enjoy the journey, “Becoming is better than being.” Carol Dweck, Mindset. Now get to work, don’t be a lazy bum just because I gave you some life advice.

Check out my Instagram DK Does Midlife for a free sleep checklist

If you’re a Spotify customer and would like to explore this topic further, please check out Dr. Andy Galpin’s appearance on the the Huberman Lab podcast available here.

I’m here to support you on your journey to a healthier, fitter life. As always, I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Let me know what topics you would like me to cover in future issues by replying to this email.

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Be well,

Dave

Please note: This newsletter is designed for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider for advice tailored to your health and fitness needs.